Healing Broken Hearts
by Zanessalover576
Summary: Sequel to "You Saved Me". It has been five years since we last saw Troy, Gabriella, and Lily. Troy and Gabriella were still dating and thinking about marriage in the near future. But, with their own past issues coming back up, will they be able to get to that point? Will the couple be able to get through their issues?
1. Issues

Five years had gone by and a lot has happened for Troy, Gabriella, and their little family. Troy and Gabriella have been going to couples therapy so that they could work on their individual past issues and help each other understand what is going on. Troy and Gabriella had just celebrated their five-year anniversary. They had discussed marriage a couple years back but knew that their issues had to be worked out first to do that. Their daughter, Lily, was five years old and in preschool. She looked exactly like Gabriella with her long brown hair and olive toned skin. But, with Troy's cobalt blue eyes. Gabriella had gotten her GED and was now going to University of Albuquerque part-time. She was studying social work. Troy walked into the house and smiled when he saw Lily run towards him.

"Hey Lily pad, what have you been doing?" Troy asked putting his arm on her back as she hugged his knee.

"TV" Lily said.

"Where's mommy?" Troy asked.

"Doing her homework in the kitchen" Lily said.

"Okay" Troy said.

Lily let go of Troy and the father-daughter duo walked into the kitchen where Gabriella was doing her homework. Troy walked over to Gabriella and kissed her cheek.

"Hey baby, how's your day been?" Troy asked.

"Fine. Just doing homework for class tomorrow. How was therapy?" Gabriella asked.

"It was fine. I would like to talk to you about some stuff after Lily goes to bed" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. That night, the couple put Lily to bed. They walked out of their daughter's bedroom and into their own. Troy started unbuttoning his shirt.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Gabriella asked.

"Melissa wanted me to make sure that you were okay. She had mentioned you brought up marriage. When she told me that, I wanted to make sure that you were okay too" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled softly.

"I had just told her that I felt like you and I were on a good path and that we were waiting until this point to get married" Gabriella said looking down.

Troy took his shirt off and pants.

"Gabi" Troy said softly.

"I shouldn't have brought it up" Gabriella said.

"Baby, listen to me. You and I are on a good path, I agree with you. But, we still have to make sure that individually we are okay too. There's no rush to get married" Troy said.

Silent tears ran down Gabriella's cheeks.

"Talk to me, Gabriella. There's something else" Troy said.

"Flashbacks are coming back. I just…feel a lot…" Gabriella cried.

Troy hugged Gabriella close. Gabriella sobbed into his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around neck. Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"I'm here. You are safe baby" Troy said.

Throughout the time that Gabriella and Troy started dating, Gabriella's flashbacks would come back once in a great while. It was mostly during stressful times. Thirty minutes later, Gabriella was still in Troy's arms but silent. Troy was rubbing her back in soothing circles and kissed her head.

"When was the last one that you had?" Troy asked.

"Two months ago" Gabriella said.

"When we fought?" Troy asked remembering.

Gabriella nodded.

"How do you feel now?" Troy asked.

"Better" Gabriella said softly.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

"We are going to be okay. We just must work on ourselves" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly. The next morning, Troy got up and kissed Gabriella, who was still sleeping. He walked down the hall and poked his head into Lily's room and saw her getting out of bed.

"Daddy" Lily said.

Troy smiled. He kneeled down and Lily walked into his arms and hugged him.

"Where's mommy?" Lily asked.

"Mommy is still sleeping. Let's go downstairs, okay?" Troy said.

Lily nodded. Troy and Lily walked downstairs. Troy made breakfast for Lily and coffee for himself. An hour later, Gabriella walked into the kitchen. She kissed Lily's cheek.

"Hey baby, how did you sleep?" Gabriella asked.

"Good" Lily said.

Gabriella smiled. She walked over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"Morning" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"Morning" Gabriella said.

"Do you want me to drop Lily off at my parents' house, so you could get your work done?" Troy asked.

"We have an appointment today. Mom is already coming to get her at noon" Gabriella said.

Troy put his hand over his eyes.

"I forgot" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Cancel your meetings" Gabriella said softly.

Troy nodded. That afternoon, the couple was driving to their couple's therapy appointment.

"I didn't mean to upset you" Troy said.

Gabriella shook her head.

"I'm just frustrated, that's all" Gabriella said.

"About us?" Troy asked.

"No. With myself" Gabriella said.

"Gabi, this isn't your fault" Troy said.

"It feels like it is sometimes" Gabriella said.

Troy pulled over to the side of the street and stopped his car. He looked at Gabriella.

"Gabi, look at me, please?" Troy asked.

Gabriella looked at Troy with tears in her eyes.

"There is trauma. A lot of it. Both of us are dealing with it at our own pace. None of this is your fault. It's not anyone's fault. It just happened, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella sniffled.

"These flashbacks are not your fault. Nicole dying while giving birth to her and my child is not my fault. We just need to figure out how to cope with this stuff" Troy said placing his hand carefully on her hand.

A lump formed in Gabriella's throat. She remembered the first time that she allowed Troy to touch her.

"Troy, I can't touch" Gabriella cried.

Troy's eyes filled with tears. He let go of Gabriella's hand.

"I'm sorry" Troy said softly.

"I wish I could right now" Gabriella said softly.

"I know" Troy said.

Troy started his car again and drove to their therapist's office. That night, Gabriella got her pillow and blanket and went downstairs. Troy was watching television with Lily and saw Gabriella come downstairs with her pillows. A couple minutes later, Gabriella came out to living room.

"I'm going to sleep in the guest room tonight, okay?" Gabriella said.

Troy knew that he shouldn't argue with Gabriella about it so he nodded.

"Mommy" Lily said.

Gabriella smiled at her daughter.

"Come watch with us, mommy" Lily said.

Gabriella kneeled down and opened her arms. Lily walked into them.

"Baby, I'm not feeling very well. I'm going to go to sleep" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Lily said.

"Can you do me a big favor though?" Gabriella asked.

Lily nodded. Gabriella smiled. She whispered into her daughter's ear. Lily looked at Gabriella and nodded. She walked to Troy and kissed his cheek. Troy looked at Lily and smiled.

"That was from mommy" Lily said.

Troy nodded. He motioned to Lily to come closer to him. Troy whispered into Lily's ear. Lily smiled and nodded. She walked over to Gabriella and motioned for her to kneel to her level. Gabriella kneeled down and Lily kissed her cheek. She smiled.

"That was from daddy" Lily said.

Gabriella said goodnight to her daughter and Troy and went into the guest room. A couple nights later, Gabriella walked upstairs and went into her and Troy's bedroom. She got into bed and snuggled into his chest. Troy opened his eyes.

"It's over" Gabriella said referring to her flashback.

Troy turned on his bedside lamp.

I'm sorry" Gabriella said.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. We are working on this. It has gotten a lot better" Troy said.

"What did you think of what Melissa said?" Gabriella asked.

"We both want to make it work. We just got to work on one thing at a time" Troy said.

"You've been doing really well" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"So, have you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips.

"We are going to be okay" Troy said.

A couple weeks later, Gabriella came home from school and smiled when she saw Troy and Lily in the kitchen making dinner.

"Mind if I join the dinner party?" Gabriella asked.

"Mommy" Lily said jumping into her arms.

"Hi baby, what are you guys making?" Gabriella asked looking into pots on the stove.

"Spaghetti" Lily said.

"Mm" Gabriella said kissing her daughter's cheek.

Gabriella put Lily down and watched her walk to the living room. She looked at Troy.

"How was school?" Troy asked.

"Fine. I passed my exam" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips.

"That's great, babe" Troy said.

"Thanks. I'm just ready to be done" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"You will be done soon. There's no rush" Troy said.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked.

"Hmm" Troy said making sure the spaghetti was simmering.

"Am I too much to handle?" Gabriella asked softly.

Troy looked at Gabriella.

"What?" Troy asked shocked by her question.

Gabriella swallowed hard.

"With the nightmares, flashbacks, not letting you even hold my hand, or sleeping in the same bed. It must be bothering you too" Gabriella said.

"Gabriella, I love you. I want to take that pain that you feel away from you. But, I know that I can't. It bothers me the same way it bothers you" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. She wrapped her arms around Troy. Troy wrapped his arm around Gabriella and kissed her cheek.

"Maybe we can watch some movies tonight" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly.

"Okay" Troy said.

"And Troy?" Gabriella said.

"Hmm.." Troy said stirring the spaghetti.

"I love you so much. I don't want you to think that I don't" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and silently asked for permission, to which Gabriella nodded. He leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly.

"I never doubted that you didn't. I know that this may never go away. I just wish I could help you more with it" Troy said.

"You just being there helps" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled slightly. That night, Troy had gotten into bed. He didn't know if Gabriella was going to sleep with him upstairs or if she was going to stay in the guest room. Gabriella walked into the bedroom and smiled softly.

"Hey, you still want to watch movies?" Gabriella asked.

Troy smiled and nodded. He opened the covers on Gabriella's side of the bed. Gabriella climbed into bed and snuggled into Troy's chest. Gabriella had told him earlier that he was supposed to pick the movie. Troy turned on the movie and Gabriella smiled when she saw the title. Half way through the movie, Troy felt Gabriella's lips on his jaw.

"Gabi" Troy said slowly.

"Sh.." Gabriella said softly.

Troy felt Gabriella's lips go down to his bare shoulder. He closed his eyes. Troy knew that they shouldn't be doing anything because of Gabriella's recent nightmares and flashbacks.

"Gabriella, stop" Troy said gently.

Gabriella pulled back and looked at him confused.

"What's wrong?" Gabriella asked.

"Your nightmares and flashbacks. I don't-" Troy started.

"You will never hurt me" Gabriella said.

Troy looked into Gabriella's eyes.

"I want to show you how much I love you, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy took a deep breath and released it.

"If you have a flashback, you stop me. That's not a suggestion either" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. The couple made love. Two hours later, Gabriella's head was resting on Troy's chest.

"You okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I missed you" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I missed you too" Troy said kissing Gabriella's bare shoulder.

A couple weeks later, Troy came home later than usual. He walked into the house and went upstairs and found Gabriella sitting with her computer.

"Hey" Gabriella said.

"Hey baby" Troy said kissing her lips.

"How was the meeting?" Gabriella asked.

"It went well. We may have a new proposal done within the week" Troy said.

"That's great" Gabriella said.

"Lily in bed?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"I told her that you would give her a kiss goodnight when you got home" Gabriella said.

"Daddy duty calls" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Troy walked out of the bedroom and went to Lily's. He walked over to his sleeping daughter's bed and kissed her head softly.

"Night night baby. I love you" Troy whispered.

Troy quietly walked out of the bedroom and went back to his and Gabriella's. He took his shirt off and got into bed. Troy noticed that Gabriella was really stiff and looked stressed out.

"Baby, is something bothering you? Did you have a flashback?" Troy asked.

Gabriella took Troy's hand in his own.

"What would you do if I said that I might be pregnant?" Gabriella asked.


	2. Trauma Doesn't Just Disappear

Troy looked at Gabriella and tried to figure out if he heard her correctly.

"Troy" Gabriella said with tears in her eyes.

Troy sat up so that he was looking at Gabriella.

"Did you take a test? Have you not been feeling well?" Troy asked.

"I just have a feeling" Gabriella said looking down and bringing her legs to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

Troy knew that he needed to say something supportive. But, he was trying to wrap his head around the idea. He placed his warm hands on Gabriella's sides and brought her closer to him.

"Baby, look at me" Troy said softly.

Gabriella looked at Troy and tears ran down her cheeks.

"I am happy. It's just a-" Troy started.

"Trigger" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded.

"It's not you. It's just all the stuff coming up in therapy" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded as she wiped her tears away. Troy opened his arms. Gabriella crawled into Troy's lap.

"In the morning, we will go get a couple of tests and see" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella mumbled.

Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek softly. That night, the couple fell asleep in each others arms, not knowing what the next day would bring. The next day, Troy came home with a bag of pregnancy tests.

"Baby, I'm back" Troy said.

Gabriella walked to the front door.

"I brought a couple different ones" Troy said.

"Thanks baby" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He leaned in and kissed her lips.

"Come on. Moment of truth" Troy said holding out his hand.

Gabriella took Troy's hand and the couple went upstairs to the bathroom.

"Come out when you are done" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Troy sat on the edge of their bed and looked at the closed bathroom door. Five minutes later, Gabriella came out of the bathroom. Troy smiled. Gabriella sat next to Troy.

"How long do we wait?" Troy asked.

"Seven minutes" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He wrapped his arm around Gabriella and kissed her cheek. Seven minutes later, Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Time's up" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Do you want me to look?" Troy asked.

"We'll do it together" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said.

The couple walked into the bathroom and looked at the tests. All the tests said positive. Gabriella looked at Troy.

"Hey, hey. What's this all about?" Troy asked seeing Gabriella starting to get emotional.

"We are in the middle of therapy. We aren't married. I am in school" Gabriella said.

Troy led Gabriella back to their bed.

"Gabi, we can handle it. I admit, we should have been married first before we had another baby. But, I didn't want to put that all on you when we were both going to therapy" Troy said.

Gabriella looked down at her hands.

"We are going to be okay, baby" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"Hey, look at me" Troy said.

Gabriella looked at Troy.

"I love you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly.

"I love you too" Gabriella said softly.

"I can call Dr. Menard and make an appointment for you" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy held Gabriella's cheek in his hand. He then called Dr. Menard's office and made an appointment for Gabriella.

"Next Thursday at ten" Troy said.

"Okay. Thanks" Gabriella said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it. A week later, Troy came home and saw Gabriella pacing in the living room. Lily was watching television with Jack, Troy's father. He smiled at his father.

"Gabi, are you ready to go?" Troy asked.

"Yeah" Gabriella said.

"Alright, let's go" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Lily and walked out of the house. Troy kissed Lily.

"Be good for grandpa" Troy said.

"She will be fine, Troy" Jack said sensing that he was worried about Gabriella.

"She's nervous and that makes me nervous" Troy said.

Troy walked out of the house and saw Gabriella waiting in the car. He got into the car and looked at Gabriella.

"Gabi, relax" Troy said.

Gabriella sighed. Troy started driving. He placed his free hand on Gabriella's thigh. Gabriella placed her hand on top of his and held his fingers.

"I'm just worried about everything that's all" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I know. But, you have me to help you with that" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy pulled into Dr. Menard's office. He looked at Gabriella.

"You ready?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded nervously.

"Hey, remember what I told you" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled slightly. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. An hour and a half later, the couple got back into the car. Troy looked at Gabriella, who looked anxious.

"What are you thinking about, babe?" Troy asked.

"You wouldn't-" Gabriella started.

Troy knew where this conversation was going to go. He placed his hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

"Never going to happen, Gabriella. I love you with all my heart" Troy said.

Gabriella took a deep breath and released it.

"I can't help but think about it sometimes" Gabriella said softly.

"I know. But, we are working on that, right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. Troy leaned in and kissed Gabriella's lips softly, but passionately.

"I love you too" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled. He kissed Gabriella's lips one last time and started driving home. That afternoon, Troy walked into the kitchen, where Gabriella was eating a banana.

"I'm going to go over to mom and dad's for a little bit" Troy said.

"Okay" Gabriella said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's lips and left the house. He drove to his parent's house and parked his car. Troy walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. Lucille opened the door and smiled.

"Troy, what a nice surprise" Lucille said hugging and kissing her son.

"Hi mama" Troy said.

"How is it going? How's Gabriella and Lily?" Lucille asked.

"Everything's okay. The girls are fine. Gabriella's pregnant, mom" Troy said.

Lucille's eyes widened.

"Really?" Lucille asked smiling.

Troy smiled.

"You don't look too happy. What's wrong, Troy?" Lucille asked.

"I'm happy. I just didn't expect us to have another one before we even got married" Troy said.

"Things happen, Troy. Maybe this baby is a blessing in disguise" Lucille said.

Troy smiled and nodded. He and Lucille talked for a little while longer until Troy left. A couple weeks later, Troy came home from work.

"Daddy!" Lily said.

"Hey Lily pad" Troy said catching her in his arms and spinning around in a circle.

"Mommy said you are going on a date" Lily said.

Troy chuckled and nodded.

"Yeah. Mommy and I need to talk about some grown up stuff" Troy said.

"Oh" Lily said.

Troy smiled.

"Grandma is going to come over and stay with you" Troy said.

"Okay" Lily said.

A couple hours later, Troy and Gabriella were walking around downtown Albuquerque. Troy was nervous. He was going to do something that would change his, Lily's, and Gabriella's life. The couple found a place to eat and sat down. As soon as their food arrived, Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Baby" Troy said.

"Yeah?" Gabriella asked.

"You know how much I love you, right?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded.

"And that I want to be with you forever?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded but was confused.

"Troy, what's going on?" Gabriella asked.

"Gabriella, you changed my whole life five years ago. You opened my eyes to so many things that I was missing. You have shown me that it is possible to love again, especially after all that I have been through. We have been through so much together. We have the most beautiful daughter and another baby on the way. We have been there for each other through good times and bad. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon. So, Gabriella, I wanted to ask you if you would marry me?" Troy asked with tears running down his face as he got down on one knee.

Gabriella was speechless. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"Yes, Troy" Gabriella said tearfully.

Troy stood up and kissed Gabriella's lips. Gabriella pulled away. Troy pulled out a box from his back pocket and opened it. Gabriella gasped. Troy slipped the ring onto Gabriella's finger.

"It's beautiful, Troy" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"I had help. Dad and Chad helped me out with the setting" Troy said.

"Thank you" Gabriella said kissing Troy's lips.

That night, Troy went to sleep and couldn't believe that he could call Gabriella his fiancée. The next day, Troy and Gabriella were trying to figure out a way to tell Lily that they were getting married.

"Lily?" Troy called up the stairs.

Lily stood at the top of the stairs and looked at her father.

"Mommy and I have to talk to you about something" Troy said.

Lily walked downstairs and followed Troy into the living room where Gabriella was sitting.

"Lily, remember how you said that we weren't like your friends' parents and weren't married?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Lily said.

"Look" Gabriella said holding out her left hand.

Lily smiled. She knew what it meant. Lily started to cry.

"Baby don't cry" Gabriella said lifting her daughter onto her lap.

Lily wrapped her arms around Gabriella's neck and continued to cry. Gabriella rubbed her back soothingly. Five minutes later, Lily stopped crying and looked at her mother.

"Why were you crying, Lily?" Troy asked.

"I'm happy" Lily said.

The couple looked at each other and smiled. They looked back at Lily.

"We also have something else to tell you" Troy said.

"What?" Lily asked.

"Mommy's going to have another baby" Troy said.

Lily smiled.

"Really?" Lily asked looking at Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded. Lily hugged her mother. Gabriella smiled and kissed Lily's head softly. She smiled at Troy, who smiled back at her.

"You happy?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Lily said.

The couple smiled. That night, Gabriella changed into one of Troy's t-shirts. It was loose and hit her knees. She climbed into bed. Troy came into the bedroom.

"Hey, feeling okay?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded.

"Just thinking" Gabriella said.

Troy took off his jeans and shirt and got into bed.

"About the baby?" Troy asked.

"And Lily" Gabriella said.

"She was so happy" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled and nodded. She leaned her head on Troy's chest.

"When she cried, I wanted to cry" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled and nodded.

"She's wanted it for a while. But, I told her that it was going to happen the day she was born" Troy said.

Gabriella kissed Troy's lips.

"Get some sleep, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. She leaned in and kissed Troy's lips. The couple fell asleep. A couple days later, Troy woke up and didn't see Gabriella next to him. He looked around the room and saw the bathroom door shut. Troy got up and walked to the bathroom door and knocked politely.

"Gabi, are you okay?" Troy asked.

When he heard no answer, he checked to see if she had locked the door. Troy smiled when he found the door unlocked. He walked into the bathroom and saw Gabriella hovering over the toilet. Troy grabbed one of Gabriella's hair ties that were on the sink and quickly tied her hair back. He then closed the bathroom door in case Lily woke up. Troy kneeled and rubbed Gabriella's back soothingly. A couple minutes later, Gabriella backed away from the toilet. Troy helped Gabriella stand up. Gabriella walked to the sink and brushed her teeth and washed her face. She took a deep breath and released it.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

"I forgot about morning sickness" Gabriella said.

Troy chuckled.

"Did Lily wake up?" Gabriella asked.

"I don't know. I closed the door so that she wouldn't come in here" Troy said.

Gabriella opened the bathroom door and saw Lily climbing into the bed. She snuggled into the sheets on Troy's side of the bed. Gabriella turned to Troy, who was still in the bathroom.

"She's awake" Gabriella said.

The couple walked out of the bathroom.

"Hey Lily pad, how did you sleep?" Gabriella asked.

"Good. Mommy, am I going to have a baby brother or sister?" Lily asked.

"We don't know yet. But, we can find out soon" Gabriella said.

Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. He walked over to the bed and lifted Lily up so that he could lay down in the bed. Troy then placed Lily on his body and held her in his arms.

"What do you want the baby to be?" Troy asked.

"Sister" Lily said.

"Three girls in the house? You will be outnumbered, Troy" Gabriella said.

"Yeah, but if we have a girl, then they will be daddy's girls" Troy said.

Gabriella smiled. Whenever Troy talked about fatherhood it made Gabriella fall in love with him all over again.

"What do you want, baby?" Troy asked.

"I would love to have another girl in the house. But, I also wouldn't mind having a boy either" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"We will just have to wait and find out" Troy said tickling Lily.

"Daddy" Lily giggled.

That night, Gabriella tossed and turned in her sleep. She woke up sweating. Gabriella sat up and took a deep breath and released it. Another nightmare. She wiped away her tears and poked Troy. Troy rolled over and opened his eyes.

"What's wrong, baby?" Troy asked.

"Nightmare" Gabriella said.

Troy sat up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. He turned on his bedside lamp. Troy looked at Gabriella.

"Tell me about it" Troy asked as Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest.

Gabriella replayed her nightmare to Troy.

"They are coming less frequently" Troy said rubbing Gabriella's back.

Gabriella nodded.

"But they still scare me" Gabriella said.

"I know" Troy said.

Troy kissed Gabriella's head softly.

"Go back to sleep, okay?" Troy said.

Gabriella nodded. A week later, Gabriella had an appointment with Dr. Menard to find out how far along she was. She walked into the house and went into the kitchen.

"So?" Troy asked.

"Eight weeks" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled.

"Are you excited?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded. She placed her hand on her flat stomach.

"Lily taking her nap?" Gabriella asked.

"Yeah" Troy said.

"She keeps looking at my ring" Gabriella said looking at her engagement ring.

Troy smiled.

"She's happy" Troy said.

"I have some homework that I need to work on" Gabriella said.

"Okay" Troy said kissing Gabriella's lips.

A couple weeks later, Troy came home and smiled when he saw Gabriella reading a pregnancy book while waiting for dinner to be done in the oven. He walked over to her and kissed her cheek.

"What are you reading about?" Troy asked.

"Pregnancy" Gabriella said placing her hand on her small bump.

Troy smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Troy asked.

"Threw up an hour ago because of the smell of the food" Gabriella said.

Troy smiled sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, baby" Troy said.

"It's all part of the process, right?" Gabriella said.

Troy nodded. He kissed Gabriella's cheek. That night, the little family ate dinner together and thought about what life would be like once their new addition came. The next day, Troy stayed home from work. Gabriella had an appointment with Dr. Menard.

"Gabi, I just need to examine you and then you can go" Dr. Menard said.

Gabriella crossed her legs and looked at Troy. Troy got the message. He looked at Gabriella and nodded.

"I've been having some flashbacks" Gabriella said softly.

Dr. Menard nodded.

"Let me know if I make you feel uncomfortable, okay?" Dr. Menard said.

Gabriella nodded. She took Troy's hand in hers. Troy looked at Gabriella and smiled. He could see her start to panic.

"Baby, just look at me. She needs to check" Troy said lovingly.

Gabriella took a deep breath. Troy looked at Dr. Menard and nodded. Dr. Menard conducted her exam.

"Gabi, eyes on me okay?" Troy said softly.

Gabriella nodded. A couple moments later, Troy felt Gabriella relax. He smiled and leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Everything is okay, Gabriella" Dr. Menard said.

The couple nodded.

"I'll see you guys in a month" Dr. Menard said.

"Thank you, Dr. Menard" the couple said.

Dr. Menard left the exam room. Troy helped Gabriella sit up.

"You okay, sweetheart?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded tearfully.

"I feel like a burden" Gabriella said.

"No, no, no. Baby, remember this is a process. Some days you are going to be fine and others are going to be rough. You will never be a burden" Troy said.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around Troy's neck.

"I love you" Troy said.

"I love you too" Gabriella said softly.

"Let's get out of here" Troy said.

Gabriella got dressed and the couple left Dr. Menard's office. As they drove, Gabriella leaned her head against the window.

"What are you thinking about, Gabi?" Troy asked.

"I was doing so well" Gabriella said.

Troy put one of his hands on Gabriella's thigh.

"There is a lot of trauma, baby. It will come and go" Troy said.

"Yeah, but for a while, I was okay" Gabriella said.

Troy knew that no matter what he did or said, it would not take away the pain that Gabriella felt. That night, Troy and Gabriella kissed Lily goodnight and walked to their bedroom. Troy took his shirt off and climbed into bed.

"Why would you want to marry someone that has so much trauma?" Gabriella asked quietly.

Troy's face softened. Gabriella looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Because I love you. If there are problems, we can work through them together. If there is pain, we can work through that too. I want to do all of those things with you, Gabriella" Troy said.

"Whatever it is, we will get through it. Together" Troy said.

Gabriella snuggled into Troy's chest. The couple didn't say anything else to each other for the rest of the night. They just let the conversation sit.


End file.
